Chapter VIII

 Tell came striding¹ along, Walter by his side, and his cross-bow over his shoulder. He knew nothing about the hat having been placed on the pole, and he was surprised to see such a large crowd gathered in the meadow². He bowed to the crowd in his polite way, and the crowd gave three cheers and one more, and he bowed again.

 

"Hullo!" said Walter suddenly; "look at that hat up there, father. On the pole."

 

"What is the hat to us?" said Tell; and he began to walk across the meadow with an air of great dignity, and Walter walked by his side, trying to look just like him.

 

"Here! hi!" shouted the soldiers. "Stop! You haven't bowed down to the cap."

 

Tell looked scornful, but said nothing. Walter looked still more scornful.

 

"Ho, there!" shouted Friesshardt, standing³ in front of him. "I bid you stand in the Emperor's name."

 

"My good fellow," said Tell, "please do not bother me. I am in a hurry. I really have nothing for you."

 

"My orders is," said Friesshardt, "to stand in this 'ere meadow and to see as how all them what passes through it does obeisance⁴ to that there hat. Them's Governor's orders, them is. So now."

 

"My good fellow," said Tell, "let me pass. I shall get cross, I know I shall."

 

Shouts of encouragement from the crowd, who were waiting patiently for the trouble to begin.

 

"Go it, Tell!" they cried. "Don't stand talking to him. Hit him a kick!"

 

Friesshardt became angrier every minute.

 

"My orders is," he said again, "to arrest them as don't bow down to the hat, and for two pins, young feller, I'll arrest you. So which is it to be? Either you bow down to that there hat or you come along of me."

 

Tell pushed him aside, and walked on with his chin in the air. Walter went with him, with his chin in the air.

 

WHACK⁵!

 

A howl of dismay⁶ went up from the crowd as they saw Friesshardt raise his pike and bring it down with all his force on Tell's head. The sound of the blow went echoing⁷ through the meadow and up the hills and down the valleys.

 

"Ow!" cried Tell.

 

"Now," thought the crowd, "things must begin to get exciting."

 

Tell's first idea was that one of the larger mountains in the neighbourhood had fallen on top of him. Then he thought that there must have been an earthquake. Then it gradually dawned upon him that he had been hit by a mere⁸ common soldier with a pike. Then he was angry.

 

"Look here!" he began.

 

"Look there!" said Friesshardt, pointing to the cap.

 

"You've hurt my head very much," said Tell. "Feel the bump⁹. If I hadn't happened to have a particularly hard head I don't know what might not have happened;" and he raised his fist and hit Friesshardt; but as Friesshardt was wearing a thick iron helmet the blow did not hurt him very much.

 

But it had the effect of bringing the crowd to Tell's assistance. They had been waiting all this time for him to begin the fighting, for though they were very anxious to attack the soldiers, they did not like to do so by themselves. They wanted a leader.

 

So when they saw Tell hit Friesshardt, they tucked¹⁰ up their sleeves, grasped their sticks and cudgels more tightly¹¹, and began to run across the meadow towards him.

 

Neither of the soldiers noticed this. Friesshardt was busy arguing with Tell, and Leuthold was laughing at Friesshardt. So when the people came swarming¹² up with their sticks and cudgels they were taken by surprise. But every soldier in the service of Gessler was as brave as a lion, and Friesshardt and Leuthold were soon hitting back merrily, and making a good many of the crowd wish that they had stayed at home. The two soldiers were wearing armour¹³, of course, so that it was difficult to hurt them; but the crowd, who wore no armour, found that they could get hurt very easily. Conrad Hunn, for instance, was attacking Friesshardt, when the soldier happened to drop his pike. It fell on Conrad's toe, and Conrad limped¹⁴ away, feeling that fighting was no fun unless you had thick boots on.

 

And so for a time the soldiers had the best of the fight.

1 striding   

大踏步走，跨过( stride的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Without pondering anymore, he started back, striding swiftly. 不敢再思索，他拔起腿就往回走，非常的快。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• Striding unconcernedly toward them through the inches-deep dust came a priest. 一个教士正踏着一寸多厚的灰尘，泰然自若地向他们走来。

2 meadow   

n.草地，牧草地

参考例句：

• The children ran free across the meadow.孩子们在草地里自由地奔跑。
• The meadow is peopled with wild flowers.草地长满了野花。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 obeisance   

n.鞠躬，敬礼

参考例句：

• He made obeisance to the king.他向国王表示臣服。
• While he was still young and strong all paid obeisance to him.他年轻力壮时所有人都对他毕恭毕敬。

5 whack   

v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• He gave me a whack on the back to wake me up.他为把我弄醒，在我背上猛拍一下。

6 dismay   

n.灰心，沮丧，惊愕；vt.使沮丧，使惊愕

参考例句：

• The enemy retreated in perfect dismay.敌人沮丧地退去。
• I am filled with dismay at the news.我对这个消息极为震惊。

7 echoing   

n. 回声现象 动词echo的现在分词

参考例句：

• The cave was echoing with shouts. 山洞内回荡着叫喊声。
• A long peal of thunder came echoing across the sky. 缓慢的拖着尾巴的雷声也来了。 来自子夜部分

8 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

9 bump   

v.（against,into）碰，颠簸；n.碰撞，隆起物

参考例句：

• I heard a bump in the next room.我听到隔壁房间传来“砰”的一声。
• He got a bad bump on his forehead.他碰得前额隆起一个大包。

10 tucked   

塞进( tuck的过去式和过去分词 )； 翻折； 盖住； 卷起

参考例句：

• She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。
• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears. 她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。

11 tightly   

adv.紧紧地，坚固地，牢固地

参考例句：

• My child holds onto my hand tightly while we cross the street.横穿马路时，孩子紧拉着我的手不放。
• The crowd pressed together so tightly that we could hardly breathe.人群挤在一起，我们几乎喘不过气来。

12 swarming   

密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。
• The beach is swarming with bathers. 海滩满是海水浴的人。

13 armour   

（=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队

参考例句：

• His body was encased in shining armour.他全身披着明晃晃的甲胄。
• Bulletproof cars sheathed in armour.防弹车护有装甲。

14 limped   

一瘸一拐地走( limp的过去式和过去分词 )； 困难地航行

参考例句：

• The damaged ship limped back to port. 那艘受损的船困难地驶回港口。
• He limped off the playground. 他一瘸一拐地离开了运动场。